Battered Gujarat heaves sigh of relief; toll rose to 252

Ahmedabad, Aug 21: Though normalcy is gradually returning to flood hit Gujarat as rain fury has subsided in the state, the toll has risen to 252 as nine more deaths have been reported in rain related incidents from north-gujarat in last 24 hours.

Reports from four north-Gujarat districts say that nine lives have been lost in the last 24 hours. Five deaths were reported from Mehsana district, 2 in Sabarkantha and 1 each in Banakantha and Patan districts.

While Radhanpur and Santalpur talukas were worst-affected in Patan district because of heavy downpours when cracks developed in the Bhad Tank resulting in water being released from Dantiwada Dam yesterday, now is heaving a sigh of relief with water level coming down as there was no fresh rain today.

Meanwhile, two SRP platoons and about 6o Army jawans have commenced relief operation with the help of boats in the four affected districts in North-Gujarat.

However, five villages in Radhanpur taluka and two in Santalpur talukas are still cut off.

Meanwhile, army personnel also rescued ten villagers trapped inside their houses at Nayka village in Kheda district. Another six people were rescued from Kodaria village in Dholka taluka in Ahmedabad district by an IAF helicopter flown from Vadodara air base.

Still over 75,000 people are living in shelters provided by the civic administration in Gujarat. Of them, nearly 48,000 people, mainly poor residents from the banks of river Sabarmati, were from Ahmedabad city alone.

Meanwhile, reports reaching from various places said at present over 100 villages are still under water.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today morning made an aerial survey of several marooned villages in Ahmedabad, Kheda and Anand districts to review relief and rescue operations being carried out by the civic administrations, the Army, SRPF and fire brigade personnel.

After the survey, Mr Modi held a high-level meeting with top Government officials to guide them in relief and rescue operations, sources said.

Ahmedabad district Collector Ms D Thara told UNI that the situation is quickly normalising in the city and surrounding flooded villages, as water level is fast receding, with rainfall in the last 24 hours being far less. She said, at present the authority is releasing 1.67 lakh cusecs of water from Vasna barrage on Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad as inflow is also 1.67 lakh cusec from Dharoi dam.

A report from North Gujarat said nearly 13,000 people were evacuated from Patan, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts in the last 24 hours, as Radhanpur town and at least 71 villages were flooded following heavy inflow in Banas river.

The report said 53 villages are marooned in the worst affected Patan district, followed by 15 in Banaskantha and three in Sabarkantha.

While, Gujarat's lifeline - Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river is still overflowing by five metres, with present level of 124.36 m, against the danger mark of 119 m. However, Ukai dam on Tapti river, Kadana dam on Mahisagar and Dharoi on Sabarmati river were flowing below the danger marks of 110.95 m (danger 105.15 m), 125.21 m (127.71 m) and 188.22 m (192.25 m), respectively, as of this morning.

The flood control room said 77 water reservoirs are filled to their capacity. The authority has sounded high-alert at 105 water reservoirs, alert at 21 and warning at 14 others.

The Road and Building department said the vehicular traffic has been hampered on 205 roads due to damages caused by heavy rains.

Of them, 56 are State highways while 149 are panchayat roads.

The Gujarat Health Department sources said, nearly 800,000 people of eight rain affected district were given medical treatment and medicines worth Rs 88-lakh to prevent breakout of any epidemic.

Besides these, in these eight districts -- Vadodara, Kheda, Anand, Bharuch, Surat, Dahod, Panchmahals and Gandhinagar -- a massive cleanliness drive has been launched as the precautionary measure to prevent outbreak of the epidemics.

In these districts nerly 6,000 well, 12,400 water-tanks and 167,000 water-ponds have been chlorinated to purify drinking water.

Besides this, over 65.25 lakh chlorine tablets and over 19,000 kg of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) packets were distributed among the affected people as a precuationary measure to prevent outbreak of any epidemic.

UNI